Many existing gun rests have very limited adjustment capability. Also, many existing gun rests cannot be used with a wide variety of firearms (e.g., pistols, rifles, long-clip magazines, machine guns). For example, many existing gun rests may only be used for rifles that do not have long clips or magazines. It may be desirable to have a single gun rest capable of being used for many different sizes and shapes of firearms. It may also be desirable to have a gun rest that may also be used for other household or workshop functions, as a tool, rather than just being useful to holding certain guns. Hence, a need exists in some applications for a gun rest having high adjustability and versatility, and/or adaptability to other non-shooting uses.
Many existing gun rests do not allow for pivotal movement of the support arm(s) to allow for changing targets without moving the entire gun rest. In hunting applications, the target may be moving continuously or intermittently, and it is unlikely that the target will walk or fly to a position aligned with the existing position of the gun barrel supported by a gun rest. In most hunting situations, it is critical to remain silent-and to avoid sudden or rapid movements. Having to move an entire gun rest while it is supporting a gun may be noisy, cumbersome, and/or disruptive to the hunt. Thus, it would be desirable in some applications to have a gun rest that allows the gun support arms to be pivoted easily, controllably, and/or quietly.
When shooting at a target at a long range, slight movements of the gun barrel translate into large deviations from the target. Hence, accuracy and precision of gun barrel movement becomes critical to providing skillful long range shooting. Although most existing gun rests provide for barrel tilt adjustments via one or more adjustable arms and/or adjustable feet, many do not provide precise or minute adjustments for fine tuning an aim on a long range target. Also, many existing gun rests are unstable and cumbersome to adjust. In a hunting situation, adjustments often need to be made quickly, controllably, and precisely, especially for a long range target. Hence, a need exists in some applications for a gun rest that provides precise and minute adjustment that may be made quickly, easily, and controllably.
Also, existing gun rests do not provide precise or fine-tuned windage adjustments. When shooting at a long-range target while seeking high accuracy, the wind direction must be taken into account. For example, if the wind is blowing from left to right relative to the shooter, the shooter will need to compensate for the wind (direction and velocity) by aiming slightly to the left of the target. For a long-range target, minute movements of the gun barrel to the left or right will translate into much larger movements at the target. Thus, a need exists for a gun rest that provides the ability to make precise and minute windage adjustments.
Furthermore, many existing gun rest are affected by vibrations. Some gun rests even amplify vibrations. When shooting at a very long range target, even the vibrations or movement caused by the shooter's heart beat or pulse may cause enough movement on an unstable gun rest to cause significant aiming errors. Also, often a shooter will want or need to make several successive shots. In such situations, the vibrations from a prior shot need to be quickly dissipated and/or at least partially absorbed by the gun rest to enable a rapid subsequent aim and shot. Thus, a more structurally sound gun rest that is less affected by vibrations or that even absorbs vibrations would be highly desirable for some applications.
Weaker, injured, disabled, and/or handicapped persons who desire to hunt or target shoot are sometimes unable or limited in their ability to do so. For example, a person that has an injured or disabled arm or hand may need the assistance of a gun rest to provide support for the gun. In such case, the shooter may be limited to one hand operations. Hence, it would be desirable to have a gun rest that is easily adjusted with one hand, for example. Also, many existing gun rests are not adaptable for use with a wheel chair. Thus, it may be desirable to have a gun rest capable of being used from a wheel chair for some applications.